Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Take Off Your Shoes

Twice a week, I encourage my athletes to find a nice, relatively-flat grassy field, take off their shoes, and fly like the wind.

Running barefoot on natural surfaces is a great way to get back in-touch with your natural gait--the optimal stride and mechanics intrinsic to each runner. Besides feeling great (and freeing), running without shoes is a good muscle-memory exercise to remind your brain what it feels like to "run correctly."

The current Vibram and barefoot trend (OK, let's come right out and call it a fad) is promising; however, while we were born to run barefoot, we were not born to run barefoot on asphalt, concrete or other hard pavement. If you're going to run in your Vibrams, do so on natural surfaces--and start small. Give yourself 6 months to ease into the...shoes?...to prevent any injuries; doing so will actually gradually strengthen your foot and help prevent injuries.

One of the most important take-aways I give runners from the barefoot movement is simple: let your feet breathe! Let your shoes or trainers be a performance/workout tool for you, but otherwise, try to go barefoot (safely) or as close to barefoot as you can, as much as possible. Not only does it improve your form and mechanics-awareness, but once in a while take a look down and marvel at the natural wonder of the feet that God gave you!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Weekend Lessons from HS XC

What did we learn this weekend from several big-ticket races around the state?

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill

Boys
(AA) West Gennessee, Arlington--West Genny senior Billy Gabriel led all with a 16:17 5K; the team also saw senior scoring from John DeLallo, Matt Byrnes and Matt Serrao. NCAA XC coaches: here's your scouting opportunity...

(A) Vestal--Seniors Nick Montesano and Matt Johnson must rally their troops if they hope to compete for a state title this year. An above-average showing from these boys; a long way to go to be competitive in Class A.

(B) Marcellus--Senior Jesse Garn is the elder leader of this relatively-youthful team that will be the NYS Class B darkhorse for state prowess.

(C) Holland Patent, Jordan-Elbridge--This battle is going to be epic. Holland Patent sports a senior duo (Cody and Dylan Racha) that can bring Section 3 to their knees; can they find support from the rest of their team to bring home a title? Jordan-Elbridge posted a solid all-around showing, but must improve if they are to be competitive next month.

(D) Beaver River--Senior Matthew Cheney blistered a 16:20 this weekend, making him the small-school "real deal." He can run with the big boys, but can he pace his team to a NYS championship?

Girls

(AA) Arlington--While West Genny's got a pretty incredible freshman in Laura Leff, it's the girls at Arlington lapping the field here. Senior Hayley McMahon sets the pace for fellow 2011 grads Josephine Boyle and Sarah Ren.

(A) Vestal--Solid early-season showing by the girls; more is needed from seniors Mary Katherine Kulp and Amy Sorber to be competitive, however. But they can do it!

(B) Cazenovia--A consistent group of girls showed themselves at Caz; can senior Hollie Marcelle improve these girls even more to be in sectional contention next month?

(C) Tully--The class of Class C and small schools at this meet, the Tully girls showed why their town is the mecca of running in New York. Marietta Burt is the senior scoring leader on this team, which boasts some talented juniors as well.

(D) Fabius-Pompey, Beaver River--Fantastic job representing Class D by these two schools, and a special shout-out to F-P's top senior, Barbara Anne Scheibel. Beaver River sports a young team this year, which will make the leadership of senior Deidra Beller instrumental in their success. Can she set the pace--and encourage the girls to follow--to a surprise placing at sectional this year?


FORT PLAIN

Boys


Lordy, Lordy (Big Schools): A big battle-royale between seniors Nick Marcantonio (Glens Falls), CJ Sousis (Lansingburgh) and Eamonn Coughlin (LaSalle). Marcantonio won this edition with a blistering 15:37 3-mile time, but the other two weren't far behind. We know Scotia-Glenville and Glens Falls are solid teams, but can LaSalle Institute and Lansingburgh sneak into contention this year? That will rely on seniors Gavin O'Brien of LaSalle and Albert Scaldera and Aaron Fuller of Lansingburgh pulling up the scoring for their teams.

Youth in Revolt (Small Schools): Some jaw-jopping youngsters were on display at this meet. Fonda-Fultonville, with senior leadership from Zak Godfrey, led the way; close attention should also be paid to the youthful squad at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons and senior Jesse McNamara's Mayfield boys.

Girls

Dominance (Big Schools): Not much to say other than Colonie dominated, and hopefully next time their coach will include his athletes' seniority in the results so we can talk about them!

Parity? (Small Schools): A fairly close contest between Sauquoit Valley, Saranac and Fonda-Fultonville leads this writer to believe that the small-school contests (Class C & D) in Section II this year will be outstanding. Keep your eyes peeled for Saranac senior Alex Farrington to have a break-out remainder of the season after helping pace her squad.

BOB PRATT

From Armory Track: "Connecquot and St. Anthony's boys are top 2 teams on the day. North Shore and Ward Mellville girls are top teams. Kelsy Margey makes XC debut and wins in 18:49 with fastest time of the day."


GENESEE COUGAR INVITE

Girls
(D) Very interested to see the senior battle play out between Pavilion's Paige Radney and Warsaw's Katie Monahan. Both paced their team and fellow class-seniors, but the plot has thickened for the girls in Class D: Will it be Pavilion, Oakfield-Alabama or Geneseo in 2010? (Disclaimer: don't count out darkhorse Red Jacket, who had a junior win the race and an 8th grader place an impressive ninth).

(B/C) Senior Cassie Goodman of Midlakes breaks 20 minutes in the 5K, but is followed closely behind by senior rival Samantha Johnson of Letchworth. Williamson, Wayne and Wayland-Cohocton are big winners of the day.

(A/AA) One word: Wow. Senior Christi Driscoll of Geneva runs a blistering 18:14 to pace the field. The drama of the meet came in the team competition, where Canandaigua edged Honeoye Falls-Lima by ONE point for the victory. Senior Kaylin Beiter must push her girls if a state title is in the cards for the HF-L ladies this fall.

Boys
(D) The Geneseo Show--obviously dominant, great job by senior Ryan Moynihan to win the field and pace his boys to a 1-2-3-4 finish; not to be overlooked are fellow seniors Jason Ehmann and Evan Magnussen who ought to attract big college scouts in their own right. Pavilion (led by seniors Tylor Richardson and Max Lord) and Kendall (led by senior Marty Christenson) prove that the race for second is far from a consolation prize.

(B/C) Barn Burner--Seniors paced this race, and it was exciting. College coaches, put your scholarships towards these battle-hardened vets: Cohen Miles-Rath (Wayland-Cohocton), Paul Schwan (LeRoy), Sean Morgan and Yanko Panipinto (Wayne), Zak Ekdahl (Marcus Whitman), Calvin Patten (Alexander), Carson Tyler (Campbell-Savona) and Travis Gregorio (Midlakes) finished in under 17:30. Wayne dominated the competition, but Dansville, Greece Odyssey and Wayland-Cohocton showed that they are up to the task of competition this season.

(A/AA) If I were a betting man...--...I would put my money on McQuaid this year. Seniors Robert Hurlbut (breaking 16 minutes) and Wyatt Gouldthorpe went an impressive 1-2. The senior field is stacked this year: AJ Nasello and Geoff Kelly (Webster Schroeder), Lou Lipani (Greece Arcadia), Joel Kandt and Jesse Jones (Brockport), Chris Dunn and Ricky Mesolela (McQuaid, again) all broke 17 minutes in the 5K competition. Webster Schroeder opened some eyes, vaulting themselves into sectional (and maybe state?) contention with an incredible weekend performance.

More to come from around the state scene...

On Winning, for Americans

I just returned from a weekend competing in the inaugural Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon. This one was a keeper--beautiful course that started in Mount Vernon, went along the George Washington Parkway, over the bridge of its namesake, and ended in the picturesque National Harbor in Maryland. At only $70, it was a steal for amateur, third-tier runners like me! (And after a recent move to the state of Virginia, I am really loving the running atmosphere out here. It's not quite New York, but...two thumbs up.)

Let me preface this by saying: God Bless anyone who runs. Seriously--anyone in the world. If you're a runner--in my book--you are more than likely a great individual.

To know me is to know that I am constantly watching runners, following races and looking for that "next great" American-born distance runner. I want nothing more than to see Americans win Olympic gold in every race from the mile to the marathon (indeed, that's one of my motivations behind writing and starting this site for athletes who share that goal).

This isn't to say that I don't appreciate foreign athletes. Most of the time, I'm awe-struck by runners from Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, Brazil, Japan, and the like. They add a great deal to the sport by pushing records even further; advancing mankind's desire to "go fast" in the words of Ricky Bobby.

But I have to say that it is a little disheartening to see the top three finishers on the men's and women's side in this recent half marathon come from anywhere but America.

Speaking with a friend recently--an outstanding athlete and former collegiate-400m standout himself--we came to the conclusion that there are a whole slew of reasons for Kenyan-Ethiopian-Moroccan-etc dominance of distance races: genetics, upbringing, necessity of their surroundings (i.e. lack of reliable infrastructure), low employment rates, etc. Perhaps, as children, runners from these countries wouldn't think twice about running 10 miles one way to get to school, whereas American children are culturally accustomed to riding the bus. Gym class is a 40-minute chore for American kids who have video games and IPods at their fingertips constantly, whereas outdoor games that involve cardiovascular endurance and agility are the source of entertainment for more than a few successful running cultures.

And let's not forget: running long distance is hard. The level of training involved to being an Olympian--even if you are genetically predisposed to it and workout daily at elevation--is enough to dissuade young athletes who might much rather enjoy the windfalls and fame from putting their athletic prowess towards the shorter sprinting races (where America has historically had very great success, in contrast).

And maybe we've done a little too much dissuading of young potential athletes ourselves. It is a common athletic refrain in this country, repeated daily to wide-eyed youngsters who can barely tie their shoe, yet look up to the likes of Kevin Durant, Derek Jeter, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Hall and Shalane Flanagan. "I want to be a baseball player when I grow up!" "I want to be in the Olympics when I grow up." And the inevitable reply--maybe not the first time, but eventually--"That's nice, but why don't you think of something more serious? How about [insert profession here]?" or, my favorite, "Your odds are better to get struck by lightening than they are of making it into professional sports."

What if, instead, we shifted our focus? What if "physical education" was more than just that? What if, in addition to getting them moving each day, we gave them the motivation for Olympic gold as part of the curriculum?

There are great gym teachers all over the country; many of them are former or current athletes who once had dreams of their own. If the United States can muster the courage, it's time we used these folks--their motivation, drive, determination--to instill the awe and wonder of Olympic Gold to kids from the moment they step into school. How can it hurt? Giving young athletes the opportunity to believe in athletic excellence--and to be inspired by the challenge of achieving it--can only further our national goal of keeping kids moving and Americans healthy.

Obviously, this is a pie-in-the-sky suggestion; teaching children about Olympic athletes or sowing the seeds of world-class competition isn't going to show us gold at London in 2012, or even Rio in 2016. But maybe these types of dreams are exactly what we need--exactly what our country needs--to get fitter, more healthy, and bring back some long-distance gold.

I'm not saying we should turn Gym class into Olympic training time...but that might be pretty cool.

2010 National 5k Road Race Championships

Special congratulations to NYAC runner Lesley Higgins for placing 8th at the recent 5K road race National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island! Read more about Lesley, or support the NYAC!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Section X HS XC Rankings

SECTION X Cross Country (14 September)

Boys

1. Malone
2. Norwood-Norfolk
3. Brushton-Moira
4. Potsdam
5. Canton

Girls

1. Canton
2. Potsdam
3. Brushton-Moira
4. Norwood-Norfolk
5. Malone

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Warwick HS XC in Illinois; Will they Rule NY?

From Armory Track: "The Warwick Valley boys will make history this weekend as they become the first NY team to run at the famed Dettweiller Park. US#4 York, Ill. will be on hand as well as 8 of the top 10 Illinois teams."

The Warwick boys are considered favorites to win the AA state championship--ahead of defending champs Fayetteville-Manlius. The state AA scene should be fierce, with Warwick, F-M and Shaker all boasting national-caliber squads.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Looking Ahead NY: Weekend Road Races

Wantagh: A big 50-mile relay is in the works this weekend starting at Jones Beach State Park. The 25th Annual Ocean to Sound Relay promises to be an exciting event, with proceeds benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America. If you can scrounge up a team of eight, $400 will get you signed up for this awesome event.

Bayport: The annual
Bayport Fire Department 5K. Support your local heroes--definitely an investment worth making!

Oswego:
10Kan 10K--Always a fun race through the beautiful Oswego scenery.

Waterville:
Mary Cleary Memorial 5K

Fayetteville:
Fayetteville Classic 5K & 10K--This annual rite of fall in upstate NY will help benefit the Syracuse Chargers' college track fund, so we can get more upstate runners into the programs they deserve.

Liverpool:
Lung Cancer 5K--Proceeds benefit the National Lung Cancer Partnership

Buffalo:
Dash for Dad-- Nationwide event, ZERO, the project to end prostate cancer.

Coxsackie:
P.A.L. 5K

Glenwood: 8 In The Rough Trail Run--Challenging trail run in the Buffalo area.

Esperance:
Landis Arboreum 5K Forest Run

Saratoga Springs:
Saratoga Palio Melanie O'Donnel 13.1 mi. & 5K --Breathtaking race with many distance options; proceeds go towards a scholarship fund for those studying in the mental health field.

Watertown:
5K Run/Walk for Haiti with Love--Sponsored by NNY Hope for Haiti.

Canton:
12th Annual Nicole Fleury Walk/Run--The walk/run is held to honor Nicole’s memory as a SUNY Canton student-athlete and outstanding member of the campus community. Nicole tragically lost her life in a car accident on her way back to campus in November of 1998. Funds generated from the event go towards a scholarship awarded in her name.

Carthage:
Carthage Area Fitness 5K & 10K--benefitting the CCHS cross country team.

Wappingers:
MHRRC Dutchess County Classic

Getzville:
Lebro's Fall Classic--Funds raised at the Lebro’s Fall Classic are donated to Carly’s Club. Carly’s Club exists to offer support programs to make life more manageable for children diagnosed with cancer and their families, and to raise funds for pediatric cancer research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

Angola:
Connor's Hot Dog Stand 5K--FREE Custom designed long-sleeve race T-shirts to the first 100 pre-registered racers. To benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Shore.


View 15 Sept in a larger map

It's getting to be perfect running weather all over New York--get out and enjoy it before you have to shovel a path or run in snowshoes!